Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Officer Salvador Becerra Arrested for Groping Woman he Arrested

As many as six women have come forward saying that an Odessa police officer detained them and then groped their breasts. The allegations began to surface after a woman who was arrested for having a joint in her pocket reported the groping.

Obtained affidavits state officer Salvador Becerra allegedly brought at least three and likely more women back to his patrol car where he talked to them and then proceeded to put his hands under their bras and felt their breasts. During this time, he turned off audio on his unit’s recording equipment, but cameras corroborated the women’s stories.

On March 9 of this year, Becerra detained a woman who admitted to having a joint in her pocket. The affidavit on the case states that Officer Becerra told her that “if she made an exception then they would not go to jail.” It was then that the woman reluctantly allowed him to touch her breasts. She reported the incident soon after.

This resulted in investigators looking into the allegation and finding that it held merit after reviewing camera footage. Soon after more women began to make complaints about the officer.

While reviewing footage, investigators found a similar issue on February 21 in which another woman had made a similar complaint.

A third incident was then found and the affidavit states a third victim was contacted by Becerra on March 2, just a week before the incident which uncovered these abuses of power, in the parking lot of Floyd Gwenn Park in Odessa. It states that while on duty and in uniform, Becerra detained the third victim, asked her breast size, and “inserted his hand under [her] bra and shirt and fondled one of her breasts.”

So far, these three incidents have resulted in charges and three other women have come forward as well.

Becerra has since bonded out of Ector County Jail and is wearing an ankle monitor. He is charged with Improper Sexual Activity with a Person in Custody and Violations of the Civil Rights of a Person in Custody.

Odessa Police asks anyone with any information concerning such incidents to call their 24 hour number at 333-3641 or 335-4961 to speak to the acting Lt. Commander.

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